Sunday 4 September 2016

Land Rover lightweight,date built 1st Feb 1979

Sellers Comments - Here we have my Land Rover lightweight,date built 1st Feb 1979,date of dispatch,10th Feb 1979,Destination (dealer) Central Army Vehicle Depot,Hilton (for C.A.V.D.,Ashchurch) Label (line) 3/335. She is a 12v 2.25 petrol with 36k reading on the clock which I was told is genuine,I found this lightweight in a barn in June,she has been off the road since 2007 until I bought her,after some tinkering and fitting new plugs,coil,points,leads,distributer cap and arm and drained the old petrol and filling with fresh fuel she fired up.

I drove her 10miles home with no issues,I have had to clean an free the brakes and adjust the wheel bearings with some added fresh grease along with a rub down and fresh paint with NATO green and Matt black,this was done via a roller but has come up very well and is tough and durable paint.

I put her in for mot in August and all she needed was the brake light switch adjusted again and the sidelight sorting,the only advisory was the windscreen marked,although she should of had two advisorys due to the left hand footwell needing repair which I haven't been able to do due to recent hand injury,otherwise I would repair with ease as I'm a welder/mechanic by trade,the chassis is perfect and not a patch work qualt,she has had a new rear quarter chassis in the past.

Onto the bulkhead now and the prone top panel is again perfect along with the rest of the bulkhead,the only part being the footwell needing repair but that's the only welding repair needed.
Fitted with a good Fairey Overdrive and Free wheeling hubs is another added bonus reducing fuel costs and improves driving over 55mph,she drives very well with no excessive free play in the steering or slack in the drivetrain or excessive oil leaks,perhaps a few minor drips from the gearbox nothing to be overly concerned about.

The clutch has a slight Judder when pulling away but I'm not a clutch rider so it's not an issue,the brakes are spot on as to be expected as I've checked cleaned and adjusted the brakes,no spongy pedal or pulling when braking,as a lot of people seem to say,they are all like that,well not any of my series Landys as I actually like to maintain mine :)

The engine runs lovely and has been fitted with a Webber carb,she pulls well and has no excessive smoke ,she could benefit from an oil change now as not been able to do this due to recent hand injury although the oil is still very clean,along with a fresh coolant change,the cooling fan has been removed and a kenlow kit fitted.
Interior is in good condition with a seat upgrade to cloth series seats with head rests which in my opinion do not suit a lightweight But are comfy,the heater unit works well and is complete,along with that is a military fire extinguisher in passenger side footwell area which adds to the character,the doors are good,but drivers door top is a tad ropy but is still strong and not swinging in the wind but will need to be replaced in the near future,on a positive note they are just standard series door tops and readily available unlike some lightweight parts which as people who are in the know are hard to come by nowadays,and complete vehicles are fetching silly money.

In terms of service history all I have is the last mot certificate from 2007 a heritage certificate issued 2014 a complete Land Rover lightweight army manual and an old V5 along with the current up to date V5 the same owner since 1998 only 3 former keepers.

The hood and sticks are in good condition and she is water proof but the hood is showing signs of age so not new,back bench seats are fitted along with lap belts,the split tailgate is good with the straps to hold the pic axe and shovel sadly I don't have these but they do come up on here from time to time.
She has not been used as an off road toy but a piece of military history I have driven her like 30 miles since she was motd,so I'm testing the waters here as I'm not in a great rush to sell and a realistic reserve is set,viewing is welcome by appointment and test drives around the block so to speak.